Process of preparing land-fertilizers.



' ploying a process of mixing the acid mercial pro develops objectionable qualities and advantages OFFICE.

cnannns s. BASH, an, or ron'r WAYNE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-THIRD 'ro CHARLES s. BASH, sn., AND ONE-THIRD 'ro WILLIAM E. WEBBE, BOTH or roar WAYNE, INDIAN-A.

UNITED s'rA'rns i Agnia'r PROCESS OF PREPARING LAND-FERTILIZEBS.

Specification of Letters Patent. P t ted Dec. 24, 1912.

Application filed April 12, 1912. Serial No. 690,354.

.No Drawing.

Another object of my invention is to make a material saving in the fuel necessary to produce the required heat for the di' ing To all whom it Be it known a citizen of the Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen, in the rocess.

State of Indiana, have invented certain new My improved process consists, briefly anduseful Improvements in Processes 0 stated, in mixing the phosphate rock, the Preparing Land-Fertilizers; and I do hereproperly diluted sulfuric acid, and the wet by declare that the following is a full, clear, muck or peat in its natural state all toand exact description of the invention, which gether in a suitable mechanical mixer. This ess of prepar ng land fertilizers from solumixture develops a chemical heat of only about 17 0 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not sutlicient heat to cause the above stated objectionable chemical action on the iron an aluminum oxids. This mixture is allowed to stand or season for about 48 hours during which time the acid also acts upon the peat and renders the nitrogen'therein more available as plant food. This mixture subjected to the above chemical heat leaves the peat or muck with only about 3 0% of the water .It is well known that at present rock hosphate is acidulated or reduced to a soluble condition by a proper in'xture of. sulfuric aci therewith; that rock thus acidulated is sometimes sold as, a comduct, and sometimes mixed with muck or peat, or other earthy material, which it originally contained.- This comto form a fertilizer that the chemical acposition of acidulated rock and peat is then tion of the sulfuric aci upon the rock during the acidulating process develops a heat therein amounting to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit; that with the present process thephosphate rock only high when the low the high percentage of oxids an phosphates I by the tof the heat during the acidulating that such reaction makes the resulting mixture pasty thereby rendering it diificult to dry, and when such pasty mixture is dried it absorbs moisture in storage and makes the product hard to drill into the soil;,and that the muck or peat is at present dried separately under a high degree of heat and then afterward mixed with the acidulated rock.

The object, therefore, to overcome the above properly/dried with application of heat in any suitable mechanical drier after which it is ready for use.

It is obvious that as a large amount of the water in the peat is eliminated by the chemical heat developed in the acidulating process, a material saving of fuel is secured over the present process'of It is also obvious that with my improcess I can utilize the cheaper an lower grade phosphate rock which cannot now be used in the manufacture of fertilizers, for the reasons beforedescribed, and that the objectionable pasty condition 0 the comosition by the reaction of the acid upon the oxids is eliminated.

It is well known in the art that about .63 lbs. of sulfuric acid is required for each pound of calcium phosphate and that about .29 pounds of water is required to dilute the sulfuric acid before it is put on the rock in the making of acid phosphate grade rock is used iron and aluminum action 0 of my invention is difficulties by emand phosphate rock with the muck or peat in its In the use of my process all that is renatural state without the necessity for a quired is that any proper proportions of the sufficiently high degree of heat to cause any component materials be employed with the reaction upon the iron and aluminum oxids, proper heat, and any suitable mechanical mixer, all of which can readily be determined by experiment, and all of which can readily be determined by those familiar with thereby enabling e to use the more economical low grade -ock with the same facility that are obtained by the use of high grade rock, and thereby avoiding the art. a the objectionable effects of the accumulate Assumin that one-thousand pounds of moistureupon the finished product in storage. rock phosp ate and one-thousand pounds 0 following peat are placed in a mechanical mixer in the .rock, sulfurlc acid,

employment of my process, the operator then adds' to contain for example, 60% calcium phosphate then in that case about thirty-eight pounds of pure sulfuric acid would be required to eflect complete d of prdducing a fertilizer by compounding phosphate rock, sulfuric d, and undried peat, substantially as composition to a drying process.

Signed by me at Fort Wayne, Allen county, State of Indiana, this 10th day of April, 1912.

4 CHARLES S. BASH, JR. Witnesses: WILLIAM E. WEBBE, ANNA L. DEN-NY.

be required, 5 Having thus described m invention and manner of employing the same what I de sire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. he process of producing fertilizers herein described, and then subjecting the 

